Family-to-Family

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Just 20 minutes north of Birmingham, the town of Brookside (population 1,600) is a small pocket of nature and beauty next to the big city. The town sits on six square miles along the bank of Five Mile Creek, hence the name Brookside. A former mining town, it grew up around the Brookside Coal Mine, which opened in 1886. Original settlers were eastern European immigrants who flocked there in order to work in the mines. When the mines closed in the 1920s, Brookside saw economic troubles that have persisted ever since.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2023-2024:

  • Approximately 26.5% of Brookside residents live below the federal poverty line
  • 45% of Brookside children lived below the federal poverty line
  • 14% of people were uninsured
  • 89% of residents do not have a college degree

Family-to-Family’s contact in Brookside is Kara Miller of the Boys and Girls Club of Brookside.  The club provides extensive after-school programs, including homework help and tutoring.  When the school year is over, the club runs summer programs to keep area kids busy, healthy, fit, and happy.

A large number of the children served by the Brookside Boys and Girls Club live in poverty, with an estimated 80% qualifying for free lunch at school.  Many are being raised by single mothers or grandparents, and live in public housing.

In Brookside, we work with the local Publix Super Market to provide monthly groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Liaison:
Kara Miller
Brookside Boys & Girls Club
4199 Municipal Drive
Brookside, AL 35036

Data Source: Censusreporter.org using U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year 

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Although Orlando brings to mind Disney stories, smiling children and summer vacations, the 2008 recession hit the city hard. The collapse of a hyper-inflated real estate market and a sharp downturn in tourism took their toll, with many residents of central Florida losing tourism related jobs. As the country and the state of Florida have rebounded since 2010, Orlando’s unemployment rate has dropped, but at least 46,000 Orlando residents remain mired in poverty, in large part because available jobs pay very low wages.  

According to 2024 data, in Orlando:

  • 14% of people live below the federal poverty line
  • 18% of children under 18 live below the poverty line
  • 31% of households earn less than $35,000 per year

The working poor number is even bigger. A United Way study showed that 43% of households in Orlando’s Orange County report being unable to afford bare necessities, despite being employed. The median hourly wage in Florida is one of the country’s lowest.

Family-to-Family’s liaison in Orlando is the Jesus Loves You Outreach Ministry, led by its president and founder Pauline Jackson. Pauline opened her doors in 2002. A wife, grandmother and mother of four, she says of her service to others, “I had a rough life. But God came into my life. He saved me. This is my way to give back.” Pauline’s devotion helps hundreds of families in the greater Orlando area. The ministry opens its doors on Wednesdays to offer food, household items, baby supplies and clothing, currently serving anywhere from 70 to 110 families a week. She also runs school backpack and supply drives for low income children every summer as well as personal care item drives for the homeless. And with help from Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, the Ministry also offers a children’s summer food program. On Thursday afternoons kids receive backpacks full of non-perishable foods to take home so they’ll have something to eat over the weekend.

Pauline identifies families in need for Family-to-Family’s sponsorship program and The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida provide groceries for our sponsored families.

Community Partner:
Pauline Jackson
Jesus Loves You Outreach Ministries
6111 Lost Tree Ct.
Orlando, Florida 32808

To learn more:

Data Sources: Censusreporter.org, 2024 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

A small city located in Genesee County, Burton is a suburb of the economically devastated city of Flint. The area is still reeling from extensive layoffs and plant closings caused by the decline of Michigan’s auto industry.

According to 2022 U.S. Census data, in Genesee County:

  • 29.7% of households have an annual income of under $35,000
  • 24.1% of children under 18 live in poverty
  • 44% of residents are unemployed

Family-to-Family expanded its program to Burton ten years ago when we were contacted by a mother of six who was struggling, unable to provide for her family. Today, our partner in Burton is Atherton Middle School. School officials report that, “…daily, kids are coming into school announcing a parent’s job loss…It seems like the whole state is bleeding.” A school social worker recommends families in need to Family-to-Family for sponsorship.

We also work with Meijer Store in Burton; they provide monthly grocery gift cards for the sponsored families in our program.

Community Contact:
Colleen Kure
Atherton Middle School
3444 S. Genesee Rd.
Burton, Michigan 48519

*Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau: 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

Located in Ashley County, just north of the Louisiana border, Montrose is a tiny town of  316 residents, two-thirds of whom are African-American. It’s rural, agricultural country and job opportunities are scarce. There are no supermarkets, libraries, barber shops or gas stations in town.

According to 2022 census data:

  • The median household income is $31,250
  • 95% of children under 18 live below the poverty line
  • 45.4% of people live below the poverty line
  • 94% of owner-occupied housing units are valued under 100k

churchThe Full Gospel Church Outreach Ministry, based in nearby Hamburg, is our local partner. The Ministry runs an emergency food pantry that helps about 300 families each month. The coordinator there — Ethel Woods, serves as our liaison, recommending families in need and distributing donated food. In addition to hunger relief, the Ministry has established a clothing assistance program, mentoring program to assist people leaving welfare (and those still receiving welfare), self-esteem workshops, an abstinence program for teens, and an abuse prevention program for troubled teens and families.

The Arkansas Foodbank Network provides groceries to the Full Gospel Church Outreach Ministry for our sponsored families.

Community Contact:
Ethel Woods
The Full Gospel Church Outreach Ministry
927 Hwy 82-B West
PO Box 164
Montrose, AR 71658

Data Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 American Community Survey

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!

A rural community at the base of Pine Mountain in Eastern Kentucky, Jenkins has one of highest poverty rates in the state. Letcher County, where Jenkins is located, was once a prominent coal mining area, providing over 24,000 jobs for the local population. Today, the number of coal-related jobs has dwindled to about 100. Jenkin’s population, currently just over 2,000, has steadily decreased and poverty is widespread.

Data from the 2022 census:

  • The median income is $26,500
  • 28.4% of households have an income of under $15,000
  • 57.3% are unemployed

Family-to-Family’s Jenkins community partner is Angela Gibson, the Family Resource and Youth Service Center liaison for the Jenkins Independent School District. Angela identifies families in need for our program and distributes monthly groceries to the families. The Whitesburg Walmart provides groceries for our sponsored families.

Sponsored families in Jenkins and nearby McRoberts have also been recipients of Family-to-Family’s Victory Garden program. Since 2010, about 20 families have received donated gardening equipment and seeds for growing beds of vegetables and fruit, often along with egg-laying chickens. We also provided supplies for a large community vegetable garden on the Jenkins elementary school grounds, which is used both as a teaching opportunity (the kids learn to compost as well!) and to provide vegetables for the whole community.

Community Partner:
Angela Gibson
Jenkins Independent School
269 Highway 3086
Jenkins, Kentucky 41537

For more information about Jenkins:

Data Source: 2022 U.S. Census Community Survey

Yes, I’d like to sponsor a family!